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Cedarius Johnson skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Collin Speranzi skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Max Gilbride skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Cedarius Johnson skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Cedarius Johnson skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Max Gilbride skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Max Gilbride skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

Cedarius Johnson skates at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change its ordinance to allow bikes at the skate park. Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

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Cedarius Johnson practices his skating skills Thursday at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change an ordinance to allow bicycles to use the skate park.(Photo: Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com)Buy Photo

A Milton City Councilman wants to change a city law so bicycles can use a skate park, and he has complete support from one BMX professional who says participants in the two sports can co-exist.

"Happily, too," said Tyler Sparr, a 31-year-old Milton resident who's been in the pro ranks for a decade and riding since he was 10. "At skate parks, there are lanes of travel. There's a flow to skate parks and it's a flow bikers or skaters see. We police ourselves. We're there to ride skateboard or BMX, we don't want to fight."

Under the current ordinance, no bikes are allowed at the 11-year-old Morgan Skate Park on Byrom Street. Only skateboards and inline skaters have the run of the place.

Councilman Jeff Snow, though, has heard from a couple of cyclists over the last few weeks and the lawmaker wants to accommodate the two-wheel enthusiasts. Snow, himself an inline skater, said it's common throughout the country for skaters and cyclists to use the same venue.

Snow's motion before the City Council earlier this week would allow bicycles in the park at posted times, plus skaters, skateboarders and scooters.

"I think it's time to move up-to-date with everyone else," he said during Monday's City Council executive meeting. "If there's a problem, it can be addressed. I think with proper procedures in place, that we can allow this and give it a try. We can always come back and change it."

The council will discuss the change again at its regular council meeting Tuesday.

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Cedarius Johnson practices his skating skills Thursday at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change an ordinance to allow bicycles to use the skate park.(Photo: Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com)

Snow's idea was met with some concern from fellow council members Alan Lowery and Pat Lunsford. Lowery said he frequently drives by the skate park and rarely observes anyone wearing a helmet, which is a requirement for using the park, according to the city ordinance.

Plus, Lowery added, cyclists already sneak into the park, which is something they shouldn't do.

"They're thrown out most of the time," said Snow, adding he's trying to change the culture at the park so the kids who use it follow the rules.

Lunsford, a City Council veteran who was in office when the park opened, said the reason bikes are prohibited from the park was a fear from the builder that exposed metal on bikes — such as on the handlebars or pedals — would tear up the concrete.

But in an email to the News Journal on Friday, Tim Payne, who works for Team Pain Enterprises Inc., which designed and built the original Milton park, disputed that claim. He wrote that the company did not express concerns over who uses the park.

Lunsford also said she was concerned with bicycles in the same space with small children.

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Cedarius Johnson practices his skating skills Thursday at the Steven Morgan Skate Park in Milton. Milton City Councilman Jeff Snow wants the city to change an ordinance to allow bicycles to use the skate park.(Photo: Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com)

Earlier this week, Snow said he completely understood Lunsford's perspective, but said it's worth a try to let the bicyclists have some time in the park.

"I think it's something we need to look into, and I think both of these, the skateboarders and the bikers can co-mingle with rules in place and everyone can be happy," Snow said. "We have a whole community of bike riders who feel left out and have to travel out of the area."

Sparr, who competes in races and shows and owns a BMX team called BMX Top Team, plans to attend Tuesday's meeting to lobby for bicyclists to be allowed to use the park. Sparr doesn't want anyone interested in the sport to have to leave their hometown to ride.

"I just want to see this through for the kids," he said. "I need a place to train, but kids need a place to ride."